Love Me
by toniq
Summary: Ken's finally going to confess to Aya and Youji is intent on giving his 'love advice' but the redhead misinterprets something... RanKen XD
1. Prologue

Warnings: RanKen -yay!!!, so obviously it's gonna be yaoi and probably sap  
  
Standard disclaimers…  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Love Me  
  
Prologue  
  
Brown eyes lay transfixed as a group of idling objects remained buzzing around him. Well, at least to a certain brunette, the fan girls hovering and gushing around him seemed nonexistent. His attention was solely pivoted towards his leader… ahh... *his* leader… He watched as silky flaming red hair brushed up and seemingly caress his smooth pale cheek as the man stirred, his daily movements just as graceful while wielding a deadly katana as was he when preparing a simple flower arrangement. So beautiful.  
  
Ken promptly let out a sigh.  
  
As much as he'd like to have Aya as his and he be Aya's willing plaything, boyfriend, lover… he still had no clue how to get Aya to notice him in that sense. Sure, Aya scolded him when he'd break something and competently commanded him during missions, but other than at work in the flower shop, or at work during their night job, he felt completely ignored. It was after the last mission that Ken finally mustered enough bravery to show Aya how he felt about him, but poor Kenken had no clue how to go about such an intricate task. He'd spent the last few days raking his head for brilliant ideas and only ended up with dark circles under his eyes and a plan as good as, 'I'll just stare at him till he notices me.'  
  
And so the ingenious soccer player set about his plan since the day started and has received nothing more than… nothing for his efforts. Aya was his same stoic self.  
  
Another sigh. And a whack across the head!  
  
"Owww! What the-"  
  
"Stop daydreaming Kenken and help me with these will you?"  
  
Ken twisted around and found Youji pointing to a large delivery of vases. The blond had been acting miffy most of the morning since he'd been forced to actually work. The nerve of some people, expecting 'The Great Kudou' to handle something as trifling as manning a flower shop!  
  
"You didn't have to hit me." retorted Ken.  
  
"Yeah, well, I felt like it."  
  
More than a bit annoyed at the taunt reply and having the last several days be an emotionally confusing hell, the brunette's anger finally unleashed itself. He flew a punch at the blonds' jaw, knocking him off balance and crashing onto the floor. Now Youji was no hot head like Ken, but being forced to wake up at the crack of dawn while sporting a hangover had guised his mood as irritated, add on an embarrassing scene where his manly pride was attacked in front of ladies, we have an enraged Youji Kudou. Casually brushing his ruffled clothing, Youji stood up and without warning he charged towards Ken with his fists. But inches before contact, Aya deftly intercepted the assault.  
  
"What do you two think you're doing?!" his voice was cold and brimming with warning. Ken squeaked, fuming Youji completely forgotten due to the close proximity of the object of his affection. Ken could feel the warmth radiating from Aya's body, he could smell his masculine scent, could practically feel strands of hair brush up against him as Aya moved to stand in between the two brawling florists. And when Aya turned around to face Ken, Ken could do nothing but blush and stare. Aya looked from Youji to Ken and back, seemingly pleased with their stunned silence he 'hn-ed' and went back to his flower arrangement. Still gaping after his departure, the rest of the afternoon went by without incident.  
  
-----  
  
Youji was sprawled out on the couch as Ken entered the living room. The rage had long ago subsided and Ken couldn't help but feel the guilt sink in for overreacting earlier. Youji was an easy going guy, lazy at times, but always reliable… when it counts. They had quickly become close buddies ever since Youji's amalgamation with the team when there was only Omi and him years ago. And since the two were the closest of all four assassins, he wasn't about to cower from apologizing to his best friend.   
  
"Yotan, I'm sorry."  
  
Silence. Ken walked over to him and huffed when he saw the sleeping form with a cigarette dangling loosely from his lips. How anyone managed to doze off with a lit cigarette still in their mouths was a complete puzzle for Ken. Not wanting a house fire, he reached down to pluck the cancer stick, but just then, the supposedly asleep man jumped up and effectively had Ken in a compromising headlock.  
  
"ACK… hey-… ahhh can't breathe!!"  
  
"Serves you right. You know I had to cancel my date tonight because of this bruise on my otherwise flawless face." Youji's voice was playful as he managed to ruffle up Ken's hair. Easily catching the man's good-humored tone, Ken knew he was forgiven, but that didn't stop him from retaliating. He knew Youji was ticklish and that exploiting it was a cheap trick, but... what the hell.  
  
"Ah fuck!" Youji loosened his death grip and Ken squirmed free. "That was low."  
  
"And feigning sleep wasn't?" The blond opened his mouth to retort, but closed it and decked Ken's arm lightly instead. "You okay? I really didn't mean it to go so far."  
  
Youji waved his hand in dismissal. He paused, then his features twisted into something undeniable mischievous. "But you are going to do me a favor…" He leered and lowered his voice "as compensation Kenken."  
  
Any idiot could detect possible danger from THAT and Ken was no idiot. He backed off a bit and managed an adorable pout. "What KIND of favor?" his tone was more than a little suspicious.  
  
"Nothing really, you know, just stuff." Youji said while acting nonchalant. As if that was inconspicuous, Ken narrowed his eyes.  
  
"What *stuff*?"  
  
"Since you ruined my date tonight, I'm bored. So just go with me to the bar, that's all."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"That's it."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Aa."  
  
Though still slightly suspicious, he had gone with Youji to bars numerous times so he agreed. With a triumphant smirk, Youji bounded them upstairs to get changed. But unlike usually, he rummaged through his extensive clubbing clothes and chose Ken's outfit for him. With some begging and cleverly executed guilt tricks, he managed to get Ken to actually don them. The playboy himself wore a pair of tight black leather pants that rode indecently low on his hips with a fiery red crop top just as tight. His outfit was topped off with a sleek leather trench coat. All in all, Youji Kudou was his sensuously confident self. He smirked to himself in the mirror and trekked to grab Ken. He nearly had to drag the brunette from his own room down the stairs. While Ken had agreed to everything, he made it very clear he wasn't going to surrender without a fight. They were bickering as they entered the kitchen and found Aya pouring himself a drink.  
  
Ken stopped dead to the seemingly scrutinizing gaze. He was dressed in form fitting silver vinyl pants which clung very enticingly to his ass with a black sleeveless top that accentuated his muscular form. His finely sculpted abs peeked under the hem reveling smooth golden skin. The outfit was crowned with a thick black leather collar around his neck.  
  
Ken instinctively reached to pull down the hem of his shirt, in a futile attempt to hide himself. He blushed furiously and was ready to bolt when Youji draped an arm over his shoulder, preventing escape. He glared at the offending limb and pushed it away. Since the arrival of the pair, Youji kept his eyes closely on Aya, but damn did the man know how to hide all semblance of emotion. His face was as impassive as always, not even a twitch of emotion. Breaking the awkward silence, Youji sighed. And before he could let out a cocky remark, Aya gracefully strode out of the kitchen and headed upstairs. Once out of sight, Ken glowered at Youji. The blond caught the death glare, but ignored it. He still had something to confirm.  
  
-----  
  
The moment the double doors were pushed aside, Ken was overwhelmed by the nearly painfully loud pounding music and blinking lights of all colours that twirled around the large mass of gyrating bodies. After the confrontation with Aya in the kitchen, Ken grew silent, but was grateful for Youji's company; he didn't want to brood all alone. As they stepped further into the masses, Ken noticed a pair of men dancing suspiciously close together, only to see another pair, and another! In fact, everyone seemed to be with someone of the same sex! His eyes widened in realization and abruptly halted. Youji bumped into him and was about to mutter a complaint until he caught glimpse of Ken's saucer like eyes staring at their 'environment.' He grinned and settled Ken at the bar. Finally snapping out of his trance, Ken all but shouted,  
  
"YOU BROUGHT ME TO A GAY BAR??!!!!"  
  
Youji couldn't help but laugh. Embarrassed and fuming, Ken got up to leave, but was stopped yet again that night by the evil playboy.  
  
"Ken! Hey, where're you going?" Between chuckles he managed, "Just relax, I'm not gonna hit on you."  
  
"Why'd you bring me to a-a…" He looked around nervously, and blushed, "g-gay bar?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because… because…" He trailed off and studied the floor. Youji put both hands on Ken's shoulder and the brunette looked up at him. His tone was suddenly serious,  
  
"Ken. I know you like men. More specifically, Aya."  
  
"W-WHA?????"  
  
Youji rolled his eyes. "If it wasn't obvious before, it was today. You were practically undressing him with your eyes."  
  
"Was not! I was just looking!" Ken gasped, realizing that was just about as good as confessing he did. He received an all knowing look from Youji to which he felt needed another bruise. "I just admire him… foraleader! That's all."  
  
"I can't force you to admit it, but don't come crawling to me when you need my help." He paused. "I'm sure you don't want to feel Aya's naked body pressed to yours and have his hands run sensuously along your sides all the while licking and nibbling your ear."  
  
Ken had to force himself from shuddering from the nice visual his mind provided. But he was not about to back down. "I-I don't. Are you going to spend all night lecturing me?"  
  
"Fine, forget about it. I can drink you under any day." The two knocked back a couple drinks and the previous topic was left at that. Before long, Ken could feel that familiar buzz. The couples making out around him didn't bother him that much anymore, Youji was right about Ken wanting their stoic leader, but that was about all. He'd never thought he was gay before, he was not even attracted to the same sex. He did not actually prefer men in general, just Aya. When Ken finally admitted to his feelings several months ago he had surprised himself by not freaking out, so he liked Aya, a man, if it was love shouldn't it be strong enough to transcend gender? With this state of mind, he let his crush run its course, figuring that if his feelings were only a passing whim it'd eventually expire. But it didn't. It only intensified the more he found out about the man. Interrupting his thoughts, the resident playboy dragged Ken onto the dance floor. He had other plans up his sleeve to conjure up the boy's confession. He'd suspected the attraction for awhile, but was never certain before. He honestly wanted to help Ken, but thought he'd first have to get him to come clean before mission: Seducing Aya Fujimiya could be set in motion. Youji grinned, 'about time the Love Master got to work.'  
  
The dance floor was nearly completely packed of bodies, most being that of men. People of a large assortment of sizes and styles swiveled around them. Ken smiled nervously. It was much more comfortably to be around pairs of men pressed against each other when you were observing from afar rather than standing barely inches from them. He had to take a deep breath to gather his nerves. 'It's just dancing; I can do that.' Just when he was relaxed enough to move his body, he yelped when he felt a hand grab his ass. The brunette whirled around to send a death glare at his offender. He was greeted with a large man with handsome features that matched his lecherous grin. Before Ken could strike back, Youji materialized out of no where and draped and arm about his shoulders.  
  
"Back off." Youji's tone was low as he silently challenged the leech. The man gave Youji a scrutinizing gaze of his own and walked off.  
  
"I could've taken him."  
  
"Yeah, but then we'd have to deal with a dead body. Just dance closer to me, you look too delicious not to be groped. Guys'll probably lay off if they think you're taken."  
  
Blushing at the comment, Ken silently agreed. He sometimes couldn't control his temper and did not want to be reminded of their night job right at the moment. His hands were already stained by blood long ago. His only justification was that at least the blood he let belong to those who were better off burning in Hell rather than running rampant on the streets, he had to believe this or he'd go insane. Shaking his head to stop his train of thought, Ken tried to focus on dancing. He liked to dance; he could sway his body to the beat and temporarily imagine complete freedom, freedom from his sullied hands. He closed his eyes. Behind him Ken could feel the close presence of another body, in the back of his head he knew it was his friend so he paid him no heed. The music was hypnotizing as it mingled with the alcohol, together, Ken was brought into a daze. He felt amazingly warm, especially his back. In unison to the music he felt another's heart beat. Lazily, he lolled his head to the side and opened his eyes a bit before he shut them again. Red. What did red remind him of? Then his thoughts brought him into another dream. He felt safe pressed against this body and leaned further back with a contented sigh. Feeling surrounded by the warmth radiating from behind and the tingling sensation from within his stomach, he couldn't help but smile. How many times had he imagined being this close to him, to be held in these strong arms? Hands slowly traversed his sides burning him with the touch, he felt his hot breath on the back of his neck and moaned when his tongue caressed the outer shell of his ear. He heard murmuring but something felt wrong, his voice wasn't like this.  
  
"Aya?"  
  
"I KNEW IT!" That definitely wasn't the right voice. Ken spun around and was absolutely horrified to see Youji in place of his love. "I was right. You have the hots for Aya!"  
  
-----  
  
TBC  
  
If you were wondering what the 'red' was, it was Youji's shirt hehe Youji can be smart  
  
Anyways, this is my first attempt at writing fiction of any sort (except the stuff the used to force you to do in school) so please go easy on the flames  
  
toniq 


	2. The Courting

Warnings: yaoi, sap and I do plan on doing a lemon later (so for those who can't stand it, you might miss out on a chunk of the story), but it won't be posted here and on MM instead, more details when the time comes  
  
Standard disclaimers…  
  
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Love Me  
  
Chapter 1 - The Courting  
  
"So how long has it been?"  
  
Waking up with a hangover would have been bad enough for most people, but waking up with a hangover with a very annoying and persistent friend intent on prying every single detail of your love life was what one Hidaka Ken was faced with. He was in his bed huddled in blankets and pillows, in an attempt to which proved completely futile, he had tried to ignore the blond in hopes of being left alone. Such was not his luck. He had clearly remembered locking the door last night and felt false elation when the blond couldn't open it after a moment worth of thumping on wood only to hear the jingle of metal and the evitable click signifying his doom. Ken cursed the bastard who invented locks that could be picked. He felt the mattress underneath sink slightly, but refused to remove the pillow he was currently buried under.  
  
"G'way." His response was muffled under the cotton. He gasped when suddenly his safe haven was stripped and bolted upright. Immediately he regretted the movement as it sent his head spinning in a wondrous assortment of shitness. The brunette groaned in agony and slowly sunk back to place.  
  
"Oi." Followed with a jab to his left calf. "Oi Ken! I'm staying until I get what I want."  
  
"…"  
  
"Our shifts don't start until noon, you'll have to face me for a few more hours even then. That makes it… seven more hours of nagging if you don't spill now."  
  
Damn, the man was good at manipulating. Weighing the circumstances in his head, Ken relented; knowing very well those calculations only referred to the present day and that he would be subjected to even more if by some miracle he survived the currently allocated seven. It wasn't that Ken did not want Youji and Omi to know, in fact, he found it hard to keep the news from them by the time he was certain of his feelings. Originally, he planned on telling the two only after the leading man found out, but had either procrastinated or shied away each time. And without realizing it, time flew by. "I don't know… exactly, how long. A few months."  
  
Youji Whistled. "So what did you plan on doing? By the looks of yesterday, you were going to do something soon."  
  
"Why aren't you this diligent when working?" The playboy shrugged. "I'm still not sure… I just wanted him to know."  
  
"So you were just going to tell him and hope he declare his undying love to you? Don't interrupt me. Look Ken, Aya's a frigen icicle. If you haven't noticed, the man has no social skills, throw something like a love confession in his face and one, he'll walk out on you affirming he really has no emotions, or two, even IF he had feelings, he won't know what to do in the situation, get flustered and still walk out on you." The words sunk in. Ken had been trying to avoid thinking of Aya's reaction, he half expected to be put down flat out and so wouldn't let himself dwell on it. Never had he considered Aya not giving him his truthful answer, especially due of his lack of tactfulness. Youji sighed. "C'mon Kenken sorry for bursting your bubble, but I want to help. I need you to understand the possible outcomes, you're in for some planning if you ever want to crack the ice. Are you sure about this? I mean, he's Aya, none of us barely know anything about the guy."  
  
"I'm sure. Thanks Yotan." What Ken kept to himself, was the little bits of puzzles pieces he had managed to unearth and start to put together throughout the months. True, he didn't understand Aya nearly as well as he'd hope to one day, but he knew several of the man's quirks that no one else may ever notice; that he has a tiny almost invisible little scar on the other shell of his left ear which Ken had originally thought was just a play of shadows, or that whenever a customer requests anemones[1] in a flower arrangement Aya's eye will twitch ever so slightly, or that the man's favourite reading spot was in the single armchair in the living room and his sitting position is more relaxed if he's reading fiction instead of his normal philosophically enriched books. And probably most surprisingly, that Aya has a comatose imouto. He had accidentally stumbled upon this information when his curiosity of just what the redhead did in his free time grew so irrepressible he decided to follow him one day. Being led to a hospital was not what he had expected. Afterwards, he hacked into the hospitals' files and the found the name 'Fujimiya Aya.' Further research disclosed the relationship between his leader and this mysterious other Aya, but Ken was so shocked and guilt ridden about prying into Aya's personal affairs he didn't dare speak a single word of it to anyone.  
  
-----  
  
After a long day's work of fending off rabid fan girls, the pair set their plan in motion. Ken retreated to his room to get ready and Youji strolled off in search of Omi. If they were to carry out phase one, they needed help from Omi's big blue puppy dog eyes. The plan was simple enough; subtly drop hints to warm Aya up, in other words, mild flirting. Youji being the self-renowned 'Love Master' had thoroughly explained in very explicit detail several methods for Ken to exercise, each only succeeding in making the brunette blush madly. His personal favourite was to wait until the redhead was in the shower, then have Ken strip and join him so they could have "slippery romping sex." Ken had been appalled and accused him of just taking the storyline straight from a porno. Nearly everything he suggested ended with some sort of "romping sex," and least to say, the brunette refused them all. The last few hours had been quite… interesting. Youji did however manage to come up with a plan not X-rated, dinner with just the two of them. Ken was relieved to hear something he thought he could do, that is until Youji mentioned something about lusty looks and eating provocatively. He reasoned that Ken needed to flirt in some manner, or it would be nothing more two guys eating a meal together.  
  
The difficulty lays in trying to convince Aya to go out for dinner. Of course they would tell him all four of them were going, knowing very well that he would be easier to persuade that way. The task now was to get Omi on their side as well, but it was already nearing dinner time and that meant the blond had to work fast if he wanted to weasel out of cooking, he was supposed to cook that night. He found Omi sitting in the mission room seated on the floor with his nose delved into his texts and madly scribbling away.  
  
"Got lots of homework Chibi?"  
  
"Eh? Oh hi Youji-kun. And yeah, but I'm almost finished. What's up?"  
  
"Can you spare some time tonight, we're all going out."  
  
"All four of us?"  
  
"A mission?"  
  
The two blonds turned to the source of the new voice and saw Aya standing at the bottom of the stairs looking at them expectantly. Youji inwardly cursed, he didn't even hear Aya enter the room and if he had not spoken up, the whole plan would have been fucked. Still, he managed to keep his tone level, "That's all you ever think about isn't it? Mission, mission, mission. No Aya. We want to go out for dinner tonight, you know, all four of us, it's been a long time since we had." Youji did not like the look on Aya's face, he'd need a little more reasoning than that. "Besides, we have no mission. Ken has already agreed, and don't you want to go too Omi?"  
  
"Ne Youji-kun, are you trying to get out of cooking tonight?"  
  
"Omittchi I'm hurt." Youji mocked an injury to his chest. "All I wanted was to spend some quality time together and you accuse me of such, such indecency!"  
  
"Haha, I'm sure you are Youji-kun, but I want to go out for dinner too, you're catering skills are… um, unique."  
  
The urge to defend his cookery was quelled. He did not want to point out his skills with whipped cream and spoil everything. He'd have to get back at the kid some other time. Instead he looked at Aya in anticipation and could see that puppy dog look from Omi out of the corner of his eye. He knew out of the four of them, Omi could be the most persuasive; proving they succumb much easier towards soft pleas rather than hard demands.  
  
"Fine. Where?"  
  
Youji smirked victoriously, he'd done his part tonight, it was up to Ken now. "L'uzzolo at seven"  
  
-----  
  
Ken's room looked like a tornado hit it and spit out all of his clothes before it left. To say the brunette was nervous was an understatement he was shitting his pants. They'd be going to a fancy Italian restaurant, the kind he didn't really like because he felt completely out of place in, yet he was the one who picked the restaurant. The reason, Aya liked Italian food and seemed to appreciate this restaurant in particular. And there was his true cause to panic. Whether the redhead knew it or not, this was going to be more or less their first date. Ken was regretting having chosen their location already, although it wasn't snottily high classed it was still a very nice place, and one which he couldn't wear his normal jeans and t-shirts. Jeans, t-shirts and the like were almost all he owned. Buying new clothes was also out of the question because their shifts didn't end until five and clean up took particularly long today, leaving barely more than hour to prepare and drive there. He'd even ask Youji for help with his attire, but the lanky blond said all Ken needed was a leopard print thong and he'd be set. Ken snorted, all day long the blond sent dirty images to his head, he suspected if that was all he could think of. Then the brunette absently wondered if Youji and Omi managed to coerce Aya into going. Ken bit his lip, butterflies fluttered in his stomach again and his heart was about to go into overdrive, the urge to chicken out beckoning. He shook his head vigorously, 'No, this time for sure.'  
  
-----  
  
Freshly showered and dressed the playboy strutted out from his room uncaring of the fact that he had no audience believing he should always retain his sexy aura. He found Omi and hurriedly rushed him towards the garage not wanting to give a proper explanation until they were inside least Aya show up all of a sudden again.  
  
"Matte Youji-kun, Ken-kun and Aya-kun aren't ready yet."  
  
"That's okay we're not going in the same car."  
  
"Why not? The last time we went, we couldn't even find a parking place for one car, and it's" he looked at his watch "still early."  
  
Leave it up to the Chibi to be so observant. Guess he wasn't their mission planner for nothing. "Okay, we're actually not going there, well us two at least. I can't tell you why right now, just follow me out to the car okay?"   
  
Omi gave Youji a questioning look. He didn't understand the details, he knew the playboy could be surprisingly secretive at times and nodded in agreement. "I left my jacket in my room when you dragged me off."  
  
"I'll wait for you in the garage."  
  
-----  
  
Seven was backed out of the driveway quietly and the two blondes started on the road. Youji did not want to be interrogated by Aya as to where they were going since his hastily fabricated lie couldn't even fool Omi. The entire time he was in the vehicle, he kept looking from the white Porsche to the door, silently wishing Omi would hurry. He glanced into the rear view mirror and let out his breathe as the house disappeared from view.  
  
"Ne Youji-kun, where are we going?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, well, probably just grab a bite then find something to do till later." Youji inwardly wondered how they would spend the rest of the evening, Omi wasn't old enough to be let into any bars or clubs and even if they snuck into one, the boy's youth spoke volumes, what other than those are open late a night? He had told Ken they wouldn't return until late night to give them some 'private time.' Though he was sceptical they would get much progress, still he didn't want to interrupt if by some miracle Aya was human.  
  
"Mou, that's the big secret? And I told Ken-kun and Aya-kun not to worry about us."  
  
He snapped his head almost painfully towards the other blond, eyes wide with shock. "You WHAT?!"  
  
"I saw them on my way out and told them to go ahead without us. They'd be worried if we just suddenly disappeared. W-was I not supposed to?"  
  
Youji groaned aloud and banged his head on the steering wheel. He couldn't blame Omi since he knew nothing about the entire set up, but that didn't prevent him from feeling excruciatingly frustrated. There goes the dinner plans. Either way he wasn't about to head back home, hopefully delaying whatever was to come as long as possible.  
  
-----  
  
"Ken-kun, Aya-kun, you two go without us, Youji-kun and I are going… somewhere else. Have fun and don't worry about us." Then the garage door closed shut behind him. Ken was left speechless. They haven't even set foot out of the house yet, and already the 'date' was as good as over. The reason they lied to Aya about all four of them going together was because he was certain the redhead would refuse to go if it was just himself. He slumped his shoulders in defeat.  
  
"Guess you'll want to stay home then." Ken could barely hide the disappointment in his voice.  
  
"Iie, it is too late to start dinner preparations now and only for the two of us at that, we might as well go."  
  
"Really?!" Aya nodded his consent and immediately Ken's face lit up as he gave the redhead one of the most sincere and beatific smiles he'd seen in a very long time. An expression of pure innocent joy few could ever mimic and fewer still who seemed genuine, an expression that he could only remember on his dear imouto. He walked ahead of Ken with the unexpected but welcomed fond memory and could not hide the small smile that touched his lips.  
  
-----  
  
They arrived at L'uzzolo in Aya's Porsche, and true enough to the restaurants' popularity, it took them several minutes to find a parking spot. L'uzzolo was neither large nor small but a fair size that seats less than a hundred people at maximum capacity. The décor theme was mostly of earthy browns and red hues accented with stark black outlines. A quick glimpse around the restaurant proved it was quite crowded, absently, Ken was glad he had phoned earlier to secure their seats.  
  
"Konbanwan, would you gentlemen by chance have a reservation?" A middle-aged cherry woman at the front counter greeted them kindly.  
  
"Hai, Hidaka desu."  
  
"Arigatou gozaimasu," she glanced through a list and gathered two menus with her as she led the way. "Hai, Hidaka-san reservations for two. This way please."  
  
They were led through the small place towards a table situated beside the window. Once alone, Aya voiced the question on his mind, surprising Ken with the sudden verbal communication.  
  
"Reservations for two?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"…"  
  
"Oh! …oh…" Ken quickly looked away from the intimidating stare and started to panic. He had completely forgotten about Youji and Omi when he made the reservations earlier, the thought of his first date with the gorgeous redhead had taken sole possession of his mind. Ken chewed over whether or not he should let Aya know the truth since he would hopefully be confessing soon anyways, but the situation didn't provide a good means for a heartfelt profession of love; the obvious being the fact that he got their friends to lie for him and worse *he* didn't even have the guts to ask Aya out, he wasn't even there when it happened! "Umm… Youji! Yeah, Youji must have changed the reservations before he left, because you know how responsible Youji is… Because there was supposed to be four of us and Omi and him didn't come so minus the two of them we have two left, four minus two is two, yep, so that's why the reservations were for two… probably… heh…" Realising he was blabbering nonsense Ken shut up and opened his menu to cover his face, hopeful it was as effective as a hole in the ground. If Aya could see his face through the thin piece of plastic, he would have seen such a vibrant shade of red it would have put a ripe tomato to shame.  
  
A thin crimson brow rose slightly throughout Ken's little tirade. The brunette's reaction only solidified his earlier suspicions of his three team mates, all of them, with the possible exception of Omi were definitely up to something. Both Omi and Youji was the decoy for Ken or the other way around, Ken was the decoy for the two blonds. He didn't appreciate being deceived, but respected their privacy, just as he'd like his own to be kept as it was, secret. As long as dumb and dumber didn't do anything to interfere with a mission or his own peace, he'd overlook it for the time being. Overlook, not ignore, Aya stored this in the back of his mind for later analysis just as he did with other questionable behaviour.  
  
The pair was well into their meal when Ken couldn't stand the awkward silence any longer. He tried a few unsuccessful attempts at conversation until what Youji said came to mind. Never before had Ken been on the courting end of an relationship, when in the J-league, girls flocked to him and he was both too young and immersed into soccer to pay them much attention. Being an assassin later in life wasn't much encouragement either. Ken simply did not know how to give someone a lustful look. He didn't have a mirror with him, only the lasagna in front of him. Too bad he didn't order some sort of soup, at least then he'd have a semi-reflective surface to work with. Absorbed in his thoughts, Ken didn't even recognize the change in his own facial features. Across the table, Aya did. The brunette was stating intently at his plate, eyes half-massed and lips quirking occasionally. He never realized the younger man loved lasagna so much.  
  
"You'd best eat soon. I won't stay here all night so you can stare at your food."  
  
Pulled from his internal contemplation, Ken snapped his head up to look at Aya. His gaze lingered before the words set in… he was caught staring at pasta! Pasta! Lustfully! Thoroughly embarrassed for the second time that evening, Ken adverted his eyes with the intent to hang his head in shame. His eyes traveled down from those deep amethysts down to soft lips down to the enticing skin of his neck down to his muscular chest hidden behind impeccable clothing down, down, down…   
  
Fuck! The chicken's in the way! Ken damned the innocent piece of poultry on Aya's platter for blocking his view. Let's see, after broad chest comes washboard abs, then tantalising hips, then Aya's crotch, then… wait a minute. Ken's eyes widened to saucers. If not for the dish, he'd be ogling Aya's crotch. Aya's. CROTCH! Guess the chicken wasn't so bad after all… or was it?! Completely flushed and torn between conflicting positions he just grabbed his wineglass and guzzled the whole thing down his throat. Unfortunately it did little to relieve the tension. Once the thought of Aya's crotch entered his mind, he couldn't help but dart his eyes towards where the redheads' endowments were.  
  
"How is everything for you gentlemen tonight?"  
  
"Fine thank you. I'm done with this."  
  
The waitress closed the distance between Aya and herself. As if in slow motion, Ken could see her arm move forward and reach for Aya's plate. He was stricken with fear and anxiety… the obstacle was being removed. He saw slender fingers flex and grip onto the edge of the plate, and then slowly, ever so slowly it was lifted. Instead of the expected mouth watering view, he saw nothing but a hard surface. Oh good, there's still a piece of wood.  
  
"Ano-" Ken squeaked and cleared his throat. "Can I have more please?" He pointed to his now empty wineglass.  
  
The waitress returned with dessert and wine. Brown orbs watch as the translucent liquid swished gently in its glassed confinement. It was a deep red almost maroon colouration and it's rippling was captivating. It reminded him of a movie he once saw where a woman licked her finger and slid it around the edge of her wineglass, if he remembered correctly, that was actually quite sexy. The brunette steeled his will, this was his last chance tonight. He tentatively brought his index finger to his mouth and flicked it with his tongue he ran his finger along the brim of his newly refilled glass and was rewarded with a "vring" sound. He tried again, this time dipping his finger into the wine and the sound was louder. Ken giggled and dipped his finger into his glass of water, he watch the clear liquid mingle with a sliver of red and brushed the edge of the glass. The pitch was lower on this one.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Shit. Now he was playing with water. As he quickly shifted his hand he accidentally hooked onto the glass and the ice filled cup came tumbling down. A refreshing spurt of liquid drenched Ken's cream slacks and he yelped at the sudden onslaught. He abruptly stood up and surveyed the damage; it looked like he peed his pants.  
  
-----  
  
[1] In flower language anemones mean forsaken, fading hope  
  
TBC  
  
Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for reading  
  
toniq 


	3. Confusion

Warnings: yaoi and LIMEY chapter, you have been warned!

Standard disclaimers…

---------------------------------------------

Love Me

Chapter 2 - Confusion

Kill.

Kill.

Kill.

Such was the only word reverberating through one Hidaka Ken's mind.  The target?  A hysteric blond.  Ever since Youji learned of the night's events, he wouldn't stop cackling.  After the 'pee' incident, he just couldn't stifle his amusement and full out laughter broke out.  He laughed so hard his sides hurt, and when his eyes drifted towards the soccer player's now dry pants, he laughed some more.  So much more that he had trouble staying in his seat and gracelessly rolled onto the floor; his arms were wrapped tightly around his torso as his belly ached with mirth.

Kill…

-----

Ken was still recovering from the discouragement for a number of days since.  He had avoided Aya to the best of his abilities simply because he did not know what to do.  Ken more or less abandoned the flirting concept, that just wasn't him, nor did he want a repeat performance of that dinner.  Merely recalling what happened caused his cheeks to burn up.

"Oooo someone's thinking hentai thoughts."

Youji.  That cur-sed man again.

"Youji-kun!  I'm sure Ken-kun wasn't thinking of… of THAT.  Only you would."

Ah, sweet little Omi.

"That?  You mean sex? Intercourse?  Fucking?"  The playboy nearly purred out his words.  Almost simultaneously, the over abundant hormone vessel was pelted with a cushion and a jacket both with equal velocity and opposite directions.  "Itai, just because you two aren't getting any, you don't have to take it out on me."

If the three were competing for the Olympics right now, they would probably bring home the gold for sprinting, hurdling and in Omi's case, shot put.  Within a minute, the living room and all of its contents were littered everywhere, they were about to proceed to the kitchen when they met a surprised and angry set of violets.  Aya's eyes actually grew larger by almost a fraction of a millimetre as he took in what used to be their living quarters.  The carpet was paved with magazines and cushions, nearly everything from the coffee table to his favourite armchair was grossly displaced, the sofa was lying on its back, and why could he see the phone jack from here?

The guilty three froze mid step as if immortalized in a Kodak moment.  Leading was Youji with one foot still suspended in the air, then Ken close behind with one hand almost touching Youji's shoulder and the other one reaching out as well, lastly, Omi was a little further back with his body angled into a pitching position, in his right hand was the phone, cord and all.

"Hey… Aya."  Youji managed to awkwardly blurt out.  Then in an act of incredible cowardice to which he reasoned in his mind as an act of friendship, his used his assassin speed and swivelled around, placed both hands on a still frozen Ken, and shoved Ken towards Aya not unlike a sacrificial lamb.  And before anyone could compose himself, he fled.

Sensing an escape route as well, Omi gave an apologetic smile before he bolted right after the other blond.

Well, what were friends for?

"Haa… hey… Aya…"

"Clean it up.  Now."

-----

The only thing keeping Ken from ripping a limb from his 'best friend' was that after the danger that was Aya had subsided, Youji and Omi offered him a valid excuse to try to get closer to their leader.  He could cook dinner as apology and the two blonds would conveniently disappear come dinnertime.  Youji reasoned he'd need every opportunity he could get.  Of course, having them clean up the entire living room didn't hurt either.  So here was Ken, standing in front of the stove concentrating on his recently acquired cooking skills.  He had been practicing secretly (as secretly as living in a house with three other men would allow) for a while now, and tonight was as good as any to try and impress his redhead.  His specialty was tofu-ryori, but he thought that might be too plain, so he'd opted to make some European food.  The cookbook was lying nearby, it was left open on Arrosto Morto di Pollo Alla Bolognese, some sort of fancy chicken pot roast and greased fingerprints could be seen all over the pages.  Ken was sure to make enough for all of them, he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice and fail horribly at trying to explain why dinner was for two.  Guess who'll be eating leftovers tomorrow though.

The ground beef was simmering nicely over the stove, and the aroma from the oven spread wonderfully around the house attracting a lecherous playboy in its wake.  Said playboy stealthily slid up to Ken and peered over his shoulder.

"Mmm, smells good.  Whatcha cooking Kenken?"

"Thanks.  This is for the wraps."  Youji retreated back a step and slid a small object into the side pocket of the brunette's jeans.  "Oi!  What'd you put in there?!"  Ken reached backed and as his hand freed the saucepan's handle, Youji quickly took hold of it and hoisted it from the stove.

"Careful Kenken, this is going to burn if you ignore it."

"Youji!  Give that back!"

"Say please."

"Youji!"

"Fine, fine, jeesh."  He relinquished the saucepan and smirked to himself; Ken was too easy to distract.  The playboy leaned on the counter with his hands crossed over his chest and continued to stare at Ken with a look of deep contemplation marring his handsome features.  Feeling the man's eye bore into him, the brunette fidgeted.

"Yotan, go away.  You're distracting me."

"But I'm not doing anything over here.  Did you know you're over dressed?"  Ken looked confusedly at his attire, a jersey, an apron, and blue jeans.  Youji chuckled at Ken's cute confusion, then his expression changed from kind brotherly figure to perversely dirty manwhore.  He lowered his voice and leered,  "You shouldn't be wearing anything under that apron at all.  You'll look *fuckably sexy*.  And here," he patted the counter for emphasis "would be the perfect place to make use of that open backside."

Ken sputtered and nearly dropped the wooden spatula in his hand.  His face was flushed bright red and he couldn't even voice a proper retort.  His mind was swimming from Youji's ever-suggestive words.  Would Aya do that?  Would HE do that?!  The brunette chose to turn his eyes back to the task at hand and not take the bait for once.  Ken tried to concentrate on stirring, he honestly did, but cut up pieces of beef and vegetables soaked in bubbling oil didn't quite compare to an image of himself, scantily clad and bent over the counter with the love of his life in a similar state of undress standing proudly behind him with something else standing out proudly ready to…

"It's going to burn."  A calm deep voice close by said.

Ken snapped his head to the side and there he was, Aya, in the flesh.  Instinctively, Ken yelped and hopped back thrusting the wooden spatula towards the man warningly as if it were a sword.  Aya raised an eyebrow in amusement, it's not everyday you get threatened with a spatula.  The brunette was indeed acting oddly these days.  Aya was taken aback at finding him in the kitchen, cooking at that, and without the cloud of dark smoke that seemed to come hand in hand with Ken and the stove.  Whatever he was not burning smelled decent and he had curiously approached the source.  He found Ken staring off into space, the man didn't even seem to notice him get this close and it disturbed him to a degree.  As assassins, they were required to be alert at all times, just because this was their home did not mean they were safe from harm, and not noticing an enemy approaching to such proximity would prove to be fatal.  He spoke up with the intent to announce his presence, not to startle the man, but he had, and was now face to face with a flushed Ken crouched into attack position trying to intimidate him with a spatula.  

Youji's sudden roar of laughter broke the awkward moment.  He was draped over the back of the sofa smacking the padding with a fist.  Youji had left Ken's side once he heard someone approaching and had witness the whole scene safely from the couch, he'd never expected Ken to jump out of his skin and try to ward off the redhead like that.  With the amount of laughter he's been undertaking these last few days, he thought he'd die of laughter.

Ken thought he'd die of embarrassment.  What the hell did he do that for?  But having the redhead barely inches beside him when he was in the midst of that fantasy came as a complete surprise.  With the addition of Aya standing right next to that counter…  Ken shook his head, what the hell's wrong with him?  To think he was just visualizing about Aya taking him in the kitchen of all unholy places!  His mind sure wasn't what it used to be no thanks to that evil blond over there.  Over the years together, Youji seemed to have succeeded in corrupting his mind and warp it into a testable version Kudou-wanabee's.  Ken groaned out loud and stomped his foot, he sent a deathly glare to the culprit then took a deep breath before he turned to face Aya, it's not like he could embarrass himself anymore than he already did.  He quickly glanced at Aya not daring to make eye contact and mumbled an apology then tried to act busy attending to the now burnt stuffing.  There goes the appetizer.

Heavy footsteps came from the stairs and the last member of Weiss shouted from atop, "Ahh something's burning!  Ken-kun I thought you could cook now?"

Ken stiffened at that.  He could cook now; it was just a stupid Youji and a sexy Aya causing interference.  "Everything's okay Omi, don't worry!"  He shouted back.

Omi descended to the main level with an overstuffed backpack and two textbooks in hand, he smiled brightly at everyone, "Yokatta.  Too bad I won't be home tonight to sample Ken-kun's dinner, I'm going over to a friends to cram for a big test tomorrow.  So I probably won't be back till late, or if it's too late, I might sleep over."

"Yeah, me too.  Got a hot date."

"Mou Youji-kun, when do you ever not have a date?  None of us will be home to try Ken-kun's food.  Sorry Ken-kun, I'd really like to try some I can't though, I promised my friend I'd be there about now.  Oh wait, Aya-kun you're going to be home right?  So Ken-kun's food won't go to waste, you are going to eat it aren't you Aya-kun?  Ne?  Ne?"  Wow, could Omi act or what?  He was even using his adorable puppy dog eyes.  Ken absently wondered how many times he'd been on the sucker end to the boy's act without even knowing it.  Ken brushed it off, he was the one benefiting the most from this so it's not like he's going to complain.

"Aa, I will."

"Sugoi!  Be sure to eat lots for me too!  Enjoy yourselves, I'll be off now or I'll be late."

"I'll give you a ride Chibi, got some time to kill before I pick up my date."  Youji casually said as he rose from his sprawled out position on the sofa also impressed by the convincing performance and already scheming on how to use it to rile Ken.

After Youji and Omi left, Ken finished up with dinner and the two dined silently.  He was already content when the redhead agreed to try food prepared by him, he nervously glanced at Aya every so often to check for signs of dislike, at least he wasn't frowning or spitting anything out.  He hadn't expected the small praise from him, "You've improved."  Aya rarely ever praised anyone, which was all the more reason for Ken to wear a bright smile.  The silly grin permanently stayed on him even after washing the dishes and even after they split up to engage in each of their own after dinner routines.

When Ken returned from his walk, calm and relaxed from the refreshingly cool air and quiet night, he found the redhead sitting in the single armchair reading with the room bathed in the gentle glow of the lamp.  As always, the image of Aya absorbed in reading brought a feeling of warmth to Ken's heart.  He was genuinely glad Aya could do something he loved so much, to take the time to enjoy a simple everyday thing such as reading.  Aya deserved to a bit of normalcy, a bit of happiness.  He was sure the outwardly cold exterior hid a different person underneath, someone kind, and tender, someone who he'd do anything to meet and with every ounce of strength and determination, love and protect.  Seeing Aya raise his head to regard him, Ken smiled in return.

"Tadaima."  He said softly.  Removing his jacket and toeing off his runners, the brunette stepped towards the living room until he was standing behind the armchair.  "What are you reading Aya?"  Receiving nothing in reply, Ken shifted closer and peered over the redhead's shoulder, he studied the words and quietly read aloud, 

"One can never carry on researches into the source and the possibility of the "idea" of Being in general simply by means of the "abstractions" of formal logic -- that is, without any secure horizon for question and answer. One must seek a _way_ of casting light on the fundamental question of ontology, and this is the way to _go_. Whether this is the _only_ way or even the right one at all, can be decided only _after one has gone along it. _[1]

Hey, Aya, are you reading that Heidegger guy's book again, man how many times have you read that thing already?"

Aya was able to ignore Ken's hushed words and not break from his studying with effort, but hearing Ken able to name the author of the book so easily managed to divert his attention.  He never expected the brunette to be the type to who would be interested in anything non-sports related let alone a difficult, mentally challenging piece such as the one currently in his hands.  The author's name was nowhere to be found on the page either.  Aya looked up over his shoulder fixing his gaze on the brunette and asked frankly, "Have you read this before?"

"Eh?  Umm, yeah, you could say that."  Ken raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly.  He was speaking the truth, he had read the book, three times to be exact, yet did he grasp all that deep philosophical whatnot?  That may be subjective.  Ken first picked up the book after noticing Aya reading it time and time again.  His intentions were to develop a further understanding of the stoic man's interests and hobbies by engaging in similar activities, however, he soon discovered plunging head first into a subject to which he had little to no background knowledge in was as frustrating as hell.  At first Ken thought reading it the second time would provide more insight, it didn't, so he tried a third time anyways, to no avail.  He could recognize passages and theories, but he'd be damned if Aya wanted to converse philosophical shit.  "I didn't really understand much of it though."  He hastily added, better to admit it now then to be found out later.

"Sou."

"Ne Aya, why don't you ever go out, you know, to have fun n stuff.  It can be a good stress relief being with other people.  Don't you want someone to talk to sometimes?"  When Ken received nothing but silence, he sighed.  The redhead was never the talkative type, maybe he should have bluffed about his perception of the book so they could have some sort of conversation.  While the man currently seated may enjoy or pretend to enjoy his solitude, Ken preferred being around people, especially if said people included the man in front of him.  Ken leaned in a bit further content with being close to his love then something hard poked the side of his hip, he looked down and remembered Youji planted something in his pocket earlier.  He scowled as he seized the object wondering what it could possibly be.  A bottle?  Ken turned the small bottle in his hand to read the label and gasped as he identified the mysterious object.  L-lubricant?  What the fuck was Youji thinking?!  Oh yes, fuck, that *was* what he was thinking.

Brought forth from his reading by Ken's sudden gasp, Aya quickly surveyed their settings for any possible threats.  Annoyed at finding none, he turned around to glare at the brunette.  Ken shoved the offending bottle behind his back but not before Aya took notice of it.  The redhead set the novel down and fluidly rose from his seat, without pausing, he moved towards the shorter man until he was threatening to invade his personal space.  Aya seemed to tower over him as the slight advantage in height obstructed the faint light from the table lamp confining Ken in his shadow.  He gazed straight into wide brown orbs where he could clearly read surprise laced with a hint of fear.

"It's not-"

"Are you trying to seduce me Ken?"

"…!!"  Caught completely off guard from the words uttered from those lips, Ken just stood there dumbfounded and continued to stare up into Aya's piercing eyes.  Finally realizing an answer was expected of him, he shied his eyes away and blurted out incoherent and fragmented sentences.  "No…  in a way…  no, no it's not, this isn't, it's not mine…  I wanted, closer, not…"  Without even noticing it, Ken was slowly backed into the wall as he spoke, he only realized his current predicament when his shoulders connected to the wall and found himself boxed in by two strong arms on either side of his head.

"Well, are you?"

Aya was so close Ken could feel his body heat and make out his calm breathing that was in stark contrast to his own.  He could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest and hear it echoing loudly in his ears, his breathing was heavy and irregular as beads of sweat began to appear on his brow.  Ken had no idea what was going on and was confused beyond words, the only thing he could do was manage a small nod to his absolute embarrassment.  He didn't see Aya diminish what little space between them for his eyes was tightly clenched then he threw them wide open when he felt cool soft lips brush against his own.  Aya's lips were gentle at first and then suddenly turned more aggressive and persistent.  The brunette gasped at the realization and Aya took advantage of the opportunity to plunge deep into that undoubtedly sweet mouth.  His tongue roamed the unfamiliar territory, stroking and tasting the exquisite flavour that could only be described as Ken.

Through the confusion and haze of lust, Ken stopped questioning what was going on.  Maybe he was dreaming or perhaps he stepped into a twilight zone during his walk, either way he didn't care anymore, Aya was kissing him.  He thought he'd never get the chance to kiss the fiery creature currently devouring him and was not about to throw away this good fortune, real or not.

Feeling the brunette respond to his demands, Aya deepened the kiss if possible.  He slid a hand behind Ken's head and another splayed across his back to affirm his dominance.  When the brunette moaned into his mouth from the gesture, he decided that was his confirmation and pressed their bodies together, grinding his arousal against equally hard flesh.  Ken sucked in a quick intake of air and to his dismay broke away from the feverish kissing.  He felt his entire body go weak and if not for Aya's muscular body holding onto him, he would have fallen lifelessly to the floor.  Another insistent grind and Ken had to cling onto Aya for dear life as he groaned none too quietly.  The redhead inwardly smirked at Ken's reaction, revelling in the power he held over the flushed form, he tightened his grip and started to suckle the exposed skin under his jaw.  Aya felt Ken's breath hitch in his throat and decided to shift his attack downward, eager for the awaiting pleasure.

Just as his hands started to tug at bothersome clothing, a loud ring from the phone interrupted the hot session.  Aya was tempted to ignore it, except that the call could be important.  Duty always came first.  The two broke apart and harsh panting filled the room, another unrelenting ring and Aya stepped further back and reached for the loud device.  He surprised himself with the amount of effort it took to tear away from that body.

Without his life support, Ken slid bonelessly against the wall until the carpeted floor decided to support his ass.  He found it difficult to restore his normal breathing patterns after what had just happened, Aya kissed him!  It must have been real because only in reality would such detestable things as a phone call interpose on a once in a life time opportunity.

"Hai.  Hai.  No, only Siberian and I are present.  Understood."  The clipped conversation Ken managed to pick up quickly ended, but hearing the codename, he knew whom the call was from.  It served to clear his fogged mind a bit and he managed to stand on his own.  "Mission.  Get your gear and be in the mission room in ten minutes."  With that Aya turned to leave.  Ken stood confounded as he watched the retreating back of his leader.  That was it?  No explanation about what happened?  Nothing.  To the redhead, it didn't even seem like anything happened at all.  Rage suddenly seeped into Ken and he couldn't stop himself before he cried out,

"Aya!  What the hell was that then?!"

Aya paused with his back still facing Ken.  "We have a mission.  That can be discussed at a more appropriate time."  The tone of his voice left no room for argument.

-----

"This man is Carl Souma."  Manx said as she pointed to the photograph of a burly man in his late twenties.  "I don't have the time to give you the details of his crimes because according to our sources, he will be leaving Japan by midnight."

"Midnight?  Today midnight?  We have less than two hours then."

"That is correct Siberian."  Then her voice turned uncharacteristically cold and solemn as she added, "This mission was still undergoing final investigations and there was a leak of information…  It has been taken care of.  Now Souma knows he's being targeted and is trying to flee the country.  If he gets out, it will be much more difficult to hunt him down."

"So it's just search and destroy."

"Hai.  Since he's trying to leave secretly, the security should be light.  It's unfortunate Balinese and Bombay are not here, it might be a bit more work for you two."

"Understood."  The two assassins answered in unison.

-----

True to Manx's word, the mission was not too complicated.  The highlight of the night was the wild chase towards the small private plane.  Souma was already prepared to board by the time Abyssinian and Siberian arrived and since there was nothing to use as cover, they practically charged headfirst towards the target and his entourage.  They were at a disadvantage with their short ranged weapons and that allowed Souma to retreat into the cabin while they had to pave a path through bodies.  Siberian was able to barge into the plane before it was sealed off and he deftly finished off Souma on the spot.  As he proceeded to take care of the pilots, the plane suddenly began to slowly move and in a fit of distress, he was caught off guard and the pilots managed to slash him in the back right before they themselves were gutted.  

-----

"I'll write up the mission report.  Do you need help with your wounds?"

The gash on his back wasn't life threatening, but it still hurt like a bitch.  He wasn't about to whine and make the redhead kiss it all better… no matter how tempting it seemed.  Besides, this mission report was important considering the special circumstances, he would just have to endure patching himself up.  "I can handle it."

Ken was sitting topless on his bead donning a pair of loose sweats grunting as he tried to tend to the open wound.  Showering had been a pleasant experience, even with the absence of soap his back stung like mad and now Ken was reminded of certain bodily restrictions, mainly the fact that he couldn't reach the god damn cut.  The soccer player stopped his struggling when he met an amused looking Aya standing outside the open door.  He cursed himself for not closing it properly, stupid clothes, towel and first aid kit just had to fill his hands!

"What?!"  Ken almost shouted.

"Nothing."  Came the indifferent reply.  Watching Aya continue to walk by, Ken struggled with his feelings.  He could call the redhead back, admit he couldn't handle it and have his wounds patched up, or he could sit here and suffer with his pride.  Ken was leaning towards suffering, it's not like he'd die of bleeding from a little knick like this… probably, then again, he didn't want to die yet.

"Aya!"  The brunette waited until Aya was once again within view, but the man just stood outside the door.  He gritted his teeth and was practically seething.  "Can you… help me here, p-l-e-a-s-e?"

Ken swore the redhead was looking smug, he just had to develop a sick sense of humour now of all times.  Ken pouted and crossed his arms across his chest, he turned and gave the redhead his back, he knew he was acting childish, too bad.  He sighed when cool medication soothed and numbed his torn flesh, it wasn't so bad, at least he wouldn't be spilling the gel all over his covers.  Then all coherent thoughts flew out the window as soon as Aya's fingers touched his skin and Ken was reminded of the sudden flare of passion earlier.  Gauze was expertly wrapped around his well-built torso and Ken found it increasingly difficult to breathe despite the comfortable pressure from the cotton.  Should he bring up what happened?  How can a person abruptly transform from their cold uncaring exterior so quickly?  He needed an answer.

"Umm…  earlier, what…  why did you do that?"

"Wasn't that what you wanted?"  The brunette twisted his body around to look confusedly at Aya.  Yes, in a way, that was what he wanted, maybe on other terms, what he really wanted was to know why did Aya suddenly decided Ken was worth his time?  They were dangerously close as moments trekked by, he found himself drowning in pools of dark amethyst completely unaware of the harbouring lust.

Not to be kept waiting any longer, the older man pulled Ken into a forceful kiss, demanding access into that confection-laced mouth.  The kiss was hot and commanding, but something was missing in the intense union, it lacked a sense of feeling.  They broke apart when the need to breathe arouse and Ken found his head spinning from the combination of blood loss, oxygen denial and the fact that Aya's tongue invaded his mouth, again.  He felt light headed and barely noticed being stripped of his remaining clothes until an alarming grope burned his sensitive flesh.  He was mildly aware of the overwhelming pleasure strong, callused hands inflicted, but too soon, they removed themselves from his quivering form.  When Ken found himself facing the white cottony sheets of his covers, he felt an uncomfortable invasion probing him just before a searing pain coursed it's way through his entire body.  He screamed out in agony from the intense pain, never before did any injury compare to the severity of feeling his bones shift and insides practically tearing themselves apart.  Before, the welcoming embrace of black unconsciousness enveloped his stricken mind, Ken recalled himself thinking 'No, it's not.' 

-----

The room was submersed in darkness save for what little dim moonlight scattered it's way in through the open window.  A weak breeze crept its way into the shadows and caused frail wisps of fabric to sway under its manipulation.  Hidden in the listless space, a lone figure could be seen settled atop crisp bed sheets staring into nowhere in particular.  His pale limbs lay lifeless to his side as he silently brood.  Sex was not foreign to him, much to the incredulity to those around him.  He was a man and his body possessed certain desires.  On the rare occasion when the sexual tension grew too great, he had engaged in casual sex.  To him, the act of sex wasn't for pleasure itself, only a compulsory act to indulge in intermittently in order to relieve tension and once again regain full control of his senses.  But he was anything but calm and in control presently.  What did this mean?  He closed his eyes tightly and frowned, what did this mean?  Ken was an ideal partner; he posed no possible harm as would a stranger, he would always be readily available, he most probably had the same need himself, he was attractive.  He was perfect.  So why could he not purge or identify this nameless sensation from within?  Frustrated at not being able to solve the puzzle, the silent man tried to push all thoughts away for the moment, sleep was a necessity.

-----

A timid knock awoke the sleeping redhead.  His eyes drifted over to the alarm clock; 6:12.  Aya suppressed the urge to groan at being wakened just as he managed to drift off into sleep.  He sat up and raked a hand through his sleep-mussed hair and patiently called out to the person on the other side of his wooden door, "What is it?"

"Aya…"  Ken voice was small and slightly muffled through the door.  "Omi called me to wake you up, Manx is here for a follow up mission of… last night."  The door opened and he found the brunette standing in the hall with his head down, he walked out of his room, past the confused figure.  A usually strong hand gripped his arm in a fragile hold.  "Aya… last night-"

"Forget about it."

Wide brown eyes looked into his and for once, the stoic man found himself unable to withstand the intensity of another's gaze.  He hastily turned around and shook off the trembling hand.  How could he explain what he couldn't understand?  Things were beyond his comprehension between the brunette and himself and he chose to deny their existence.

----

[1] Excerpt from "Being and Time" (pg 487) by Martin Heidegger

Anyone notice Side B familiarities??

Umm, yeah, this is getting kind of angsty… sorry, it'll get better

ANYWAYS, on a lighter note, please take a look at my "fuckably sexy Ken" pic at

http ://members.shaw. ca/toniq/Weiss/Ken%20%2b%20apron6.jpg

(there is a link to it in my bio if you'd prefer)

And many thanks to Sky Rat for the links tip ^0^

toniq


	4. The Mission

Aye… it's been a long time, sorry for the delayed update.  I had to straighten out and clear up some things because I guess this was supposed to be partly humorous after all.

But thanks for the great reviews, they have been put to use.

---------------------------------------------

Love Me

Chapter 3 - The Mission

It was as innocent a night as any without a mission to execute and no rush orders of flower arrangements to tend to.  The night was young and the cool air was as if it was coaxing inhabitants of indoors to abandon their self-brought cages and step forth into the subtle darkness, those who succumbed included three unlikely assassins.  The fourth and final member of the team who had suffered from a recent operation was alone in their home, sitting in front of the television idly flipping through channels and nursing a broken leg.  Frustrated by finding no soccer game on, he gave up and slowly slid his body to drape casually along the soft living room couch careful to prop the heavy cast on the armrest.  He scowled at the cast on his left leg, blaming his imprisonment and immobility on it, he could have been out like the others enjoying the last of the summer nights before autumn crept in, but no, he couldn't move around without a crutch and it would be that way for the next few weeks, dammit. 

That night they were suddenly ambushed by a crowd of seedy gang members midway into their assignment and Ken was thrown into a very compromising position when he alone was cornered by nearly a dozen of them.  Fortunately, they were only armed in blades and steeled bats, if they had had guns Ken was sure he'd die a man riddled with holes and smoking lead.  He did his best fighting and dodging taking half of them down before a crushing impact brought him to the floor.  They quickly tackled him and skilfully pinned him in place as the leader slowly tortured him in an attempt to gain information.  To their folly, the rest of Weiss stealthy located Ken and killed off their remaining forces.

Omi was the first to notice Ken's sickly twisted leg and was crouched beside him in concern shooting off questions regarding his condition and scanning his battered body for other injuries.  Ken was touched by the outward worry shown by everyone, even Aya who wordlessly carried him to the car.  Sure, Omi probably would have had some difficult supporting all of his weight and Youji was injured himself, and considering the circumstances, the fact that Aya volunteered wasn't to unreal, even so, it caused Ken's secret crush to elevate into something more.

Ken was brought back to his current surroundings when the front door opened and Omi popped in cheerily, greeting him.

"Hey Omi, you're back early."

"Yeah, homework."

Ken grinned lightly recalling the days when he had to worry about handing in his math problems and history papers, it seemed so long ago.  "Need any help?"

"That's okay, you need your rest."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure I won't get the marks fit for a genius."  Ken woefully said, sighing dramatically, a bit too much like Youji would.

"Mou Ken-kun, not you too.  I am not a genius."  Omi retorted, easily catching the good-natured joke.

"Sure you're not, 'Mr. I got a A-, I will hang my head in shame.'"

"What?!  That's not-!  Who told you that?"

"I have my sources."  Omi huffed in annoyance and flopped down beside Ken trying to glare and failing badly.  "Careful with that, I'm an injured man."  With that, Omi ruffled Ken's hair like everyone else did to him, smiling when he succeeded.  Ken tried to frown at the younger boy for taking advantage of his immobility only to shake his head and chuckle, they all knew Omi hated having his hair ruffled, regardless Youji and him did it anyways just to tease him, guess Omi'll be getting his revenge for at least the next little while.

"Are you feeling better Ken-kun?  Is your leg doing fine?"

"Aa.  Just sick of sitting around all day, I think I'm starting to mould."

"That's good, I mean the getting better part not the mould.  Where's everyone else?"

"We won't see Youji till tomorrow afternoon at best and Aya's not home either."

"Aya-kun went out?"

"Yeah, just umm, an hour ago he didn't even tell me where he was going."

"Wow, Aya-kun going out at night, that's rare."

Ken nodded his head in agreement.  "He just left like that without saying anything."

"Hmm, oh well, I've got to get to work or I won't get any sleep tonight.  Do you need anything while I'm here?  I might not hear you from my room later."  Ken shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal, glad Omi was offering but not wanting to distract him anymore from impeding homework.  "Yell really really loud if you need me okay?  Jya."

Ken watched the retreating back of his friend and sighed, he actually wanted a glass of water since it was time for his painkillers.  He was injured, not useless he chided himself and slowly pushed his upper body up labouring to reach for the crutch, he almost had it before it toppled to the carpeted floor with a soft thud, away from him.  He gave up with a grunt and glared daggers at the betraying piece of metal lying out of his immediate reach.  He didn't need water to swallow pills, he was an assassin after all.  After fighting with the two not-so-innocent pills Ken laid down again dully keeping note to never swallow THOSE pills without liquid especially after one almost went up his nose.

His expression softened upon seeing the small chibi figure Omi had expertly drawn on his cast and right next to it the pathetically drawn 'beautiful woman' Youji attempted.  He claimed it would keep Ken company through his lonely nights, too bad it resembled a heavily endowed transvestite, a very scary one.  The only person who didn't leave any mark on his badly vandalized cast was Aya.  The brunette found his mind wandering off to the redhead.  He could count on one hand the number of times he noticed Aya go out at night with something non-mission related, the stoic man usually made his secretive errands during the day.  No one really questioned him out of respect for his privacy, everyone was entitled to have their own secrets.  Ken's growing infatuation for him however, made the younger man dare to step beyond those unspoken bounds.

He waited for several restless hours that night, wanting to see the object of his affection safely return home and so he remained in the living room even when Omi offered to help him to his room to retire for the night.  It was well past midnight before a soft click alerted the brunette someone had returned and in his eagerness to go and greet the redhead he momentarily forgot about his injured leg.  The sudden jar caused him collapse painfully to the floor with a soft cry.  Aya found Ken lying on his side cursing and reflexively holding onto his left leg in an undignified heap.

"Ken?"

"… just a moment… pain."  Aya's amusement went unseen as he patiently waited.  "… Heh, hey Aya…"  The redhead continued to look at him and Ken blushed furiously in embarrassment.  It seemed that was all he ever did since the addition of the man standing before him.  "… Umm."

"It's late, go to bed."

Ken was tired and he wanted to go sleep in his own room too, but he knew from experience trying to trek up the stairs alone was a small conquest paved with agonizing mishaps.  "Ano… Aya, could you… um…"  Before Ken finished stammering, Aya had already retrieved his crutch and was helping him stand on it, he placed the brunette's right arm over his shoulders and tucked the crutch under Ken's other side as he slowly steered them towards the long staircase.

Ken thought he was dreaming as they climbed the steps side by side so close together he could almost hear their soft even breathes.  This was the first time being so close to the taller man other than the day when his leg was broken.  When Aya carried him off that day, he was in too much pain and barely able to retain his consciousness to fully appreciate the close contact, but this time only a dull throb tried to distract him.  He felt blissfully warm beside Aya and had to forcefully stamp out a sigh of content.  He instinctively rested his head on the strong shoulder and closed his eyes to forever engrave the moment into his memories.  Aya wasn't the cold, unfeeling person he projected himself as.  Aya cared enough for his teammates to help even when the aid was unvoiced such as now.  Aya's body was firm and infinitely warm, he also smelled of cigarettes, alcohol and… musky cologne?

Aya did not wear cologne.

Ken was abruptly brought out of his daze.  They reached the top of the stairs and Aya had carefully extracted Ken from him, he gave him a curt nod and left for his own room down the quiet hall.  The brunette stood unmoving as his brain anxiously scrambled for a reasonable conclusion to this sudden revelation.  Aya rarely smoked, rarely drank, and has never worn cologne before, yet tonight after his mysterious departure, he returned home in the middle of the night smelling of all three.  And this meant?

This meant-

He could have felt the need, hence the cigarettes.

He could have wanted to relax, hence the alcohol.

Then what of the cologne?

Considering the circumstances, it was unlikely Aya decided to start the habit.  He could have been dancing.  At a bar.  That would explain all three.  But he didn't have a trace of sweat on him he seemed freshly showered.  It was as if… what they expected of the local blond playboy.

Keen to unravel the puzzle Ken stayed up late awaiting the redhead's return the scant few times he left their living quarters mysteriously at night.  Each time he invented an excuse to ease suspicion; he couldn't sleep, he wanted a drink of water, there was a live soccer game on TV from around the globe, he fell asleep on the couch…  Never did Ken reveal his true intentions,

_Because I care about you._

It went on far after his leg was fully healed, anything to see when Aya was going to come back and always deathly afraid of the possibility where he wasn't alone.  To Ken's relief, Aya never brought a soul back with him.  The brunette could deduce from the erratic patterns, Aya was not deeply involved with any one person in particular.  The occurrences were few and far between, the times when Ken could approach him close enough, he could tell the scents lingering on Aya's clothing were different.  He was almost glad it was different cologne every time, almost. 

At the very least it meant he still had a chance, no matter how miniscule.  On the other hand it wasn't his business no matter how much he wanted it to be.

He knew of Aya's sexual practices and by no means did it lessen his feelings or respect towards the stoic man.  Aya was his own man.  Youji was far more obvious in his flings and Ken was okay with it.  He couldn't think it wrong to do so, even going so far as to think it very reasonable, all guys do it, Youji does it all the time, except that when it's Aya it hurts.  Not once did he think any less of either man.  Nor did he confront Aya about the issue.  It wasn't his business after all.

Even though, somewhere in him secretly wished it could have been him.  If Aya ever asked him to, he would surrender his body, not because a physical relationship was what he was longing for, instead it would be a token of what he was willing to offer, his heart and soul along with his everything.  Ken was eternally hopeful that by pleasing Aya he would one day find a place in his heart, even if it were small. 

And so he submitted himself.

Last night had been painful in more ways than the obvious.  It hadn't been what he had expected, surrendering his body wasn't as detached as he initially accepted it to be.  No matter how much Ken tried to restrain his affection and tell himself sex was just sex, he failed to convince himself.  It hurt to know he was like the other unnamed scents lingering around Aya.  Ken didn't want that, but reluctantly resigned his present fate to such.  He harboured no bad feelings towards what Aya did last night, if he was unwillingly he would have made that known.  He was a grown man and he'd act like one.  Sore ass or no sore ass.

"Ken-kun!  Are you listening to me?"

Oh right, Omi had burst into his room first thing in the morning.  "Uh, not really, can you repeat that?"

"Manx-san is here, we have an emergency mission, get up!"

"Now?"

"Yes, it's a direct follow up to the case Aya-kun and you were on yesterday." 

"Oh…"

Omi huffed in frustration, "Can you wake up Aya-kun please?  I have to hurry back to the basement.  Thanks, see you in five minutes."  With that, the blonde quickly retreated out of the messy room nimbly avoiding various land mines.

Five minutes?!  Shit!  Ken manoeuvred out of bed as quickly as his condition allowed, brushed his teeth, took a leak and bounded off to their leader's room.  He froze with sudden dread, what should he say to him, how should he act?  Surely the dynamics would have changed somehow.  He brushed his hesitation aside, they only had a few moments left and he couldn't be selfish and avoid confrontation.  For better or worse he lowered his fist to knock uncertainly on the wooden door.  After a slight pause, Aya's muffled voice replied.

"Aya…"  Ken's voice was small, almost quivering as he gulped down his nervousness.  "Omi called me to wake you up, Manx is here for a follow up mission of… last night."  The door opened and the brunette found himself unable to look Aya in the eye, he quickly cast his head down to stare at his feet.  As Aya brushed past him he grabbed onto his arm, uncertain of what to say yet not wanting to let go, "Aya last night-"

"Forget about it."

Ken snapped his head up to plead into amethyst jewels desperately searching for an answer.  The returning gaze was blank, void of signs of deception.  Ken wished he were only joking.  No.  No he wasn't, there was no affection bestowed upon him, and those jewels were as they always were, emotionless.  Ken's frame visibly shook from this heart wrenching realization.  That was what he was, less than a one-night stand, just some nameless, faded scent.

He choked back a sob feeling utterly pathetic.  What did he expect?  Who was he to deserve Aya?  Ken could have, would have had to accept nothing in return, he wouldn't force a relationship between them, but to deny what happened, to deny his very memories made his blood boil.  How could Aya even ask Ken to forget?  At least his memories were his to have, Aya had no right to take those as well!  Ken felt his confusion and hurt overwhelmed by a tidal wave of rage and stomped towards the redhead who turned his back on him.  Too weak and still aching to inflict much damage, he did the next best think his abused body allowed; Ken yanked Aya to face him and bitch slapped him, hard.

The loud and sudden smack echoed through the hall before giving way to tangible silence.  Wide purple eyes stared back in astonishment.  Did Ken just slap him?  He had never been slapped before.  He's been punched, kicked, shoved, hurled, slashed, shot, even bitten… never slapped.

Ken clenched his hands into tight fists while trembling with barely contained hurt and rage.  His voice was low and dangerous, "You.  Selfish.  Bastard.  How could you pretend nothing happened?  And have the balls to tell me to just forget it?  Do you THINK… I'd let just anyone have their way with me?  I didn't ask you for anything… didn't expect anything from you…"  Ken fell silent.  "BUT!  Not anymore.  You will make it up to me one way or another, or I'll… I'll KICK YOUR ASS!  ASSHOLE!"

-----

All eyes rested on the brunette as he stormed into the mission room, everyone wondered why the abnormally happy morning person was so obviously cranky, but their questions were drowned out by hectic preparations; Omi was typing madly away with Manx standing close behind, pointing occasionally to some important detail and Youji was seated between the couch and coffee table looking over several documents at once.  Ken was glad everyone was too preoccupied to pay him much attention since it gave him the time to cool down.  The outburst in the hall was just as surprising to the recipient as it was to Ken, he wouldn't have deemed himself brave/foolish enough to strike Aya's perfect face.  What could he honestly ask for as compensation?  He knew as much as Aya that it was only an empty threat. 

When his anger subsided Ken became acutely aware of the pain emanating from a particular portion of his lower body, his previous movements only feeding the awkward throbbing.  It became increasingly difficult to walk properly and he bet he wouldn't want to sit down any time soon.  He felt more than heard Aya's entrance and the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end in foreboding.  He just slapped Aya and screamed in his face.  Even being so bold as to threatened him.  Aya was not the kind of person to let revenge go unchecked, just look at Takatori… Ken was definitely in some deep shit.

Fortunately or unfortunately, whenever Ken became emotionally stressed, anger seemed to always override everything else and rise to the top.  He steeled his nerves and carefully limped away overtaking Aya's usual spot against the far wall.  Ken jut out his chin in defiance while sending a convincing glare to the newcomer in a silent challenge.  Aya barely bat an eyelash.  He strode over to Youji and sat on the couch, incidentally, in Ken's usual spot.  Ken narrowed his eyes trying to stare a hole through the back of that no good, childish, jerkfaced jerk-

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin."  Manx's loud announcement caught everyone's attention immediately.  All eyes riveted to her as she stepped directly up to the front of the room to face them all.  "As you all know, Abyssinian and Siberian completed a mission last night to eliminate Carl Souma.  Kritiker received the mission report at 01:36 and was on their way to clear out any remaining traces of Souma's empire.  It is regrettable to announce Intelligence made yet another crucial error, removing Souma has done little to destroy this organization, there is another, more important figure behind the curtains.  We were unaware of this person because a traitor was amongst Intelligence.  We believe it was his single-handed interference that has managed to keep the real threat hidden up to this point. 

"Even knowing the existence of this person, Kritiker had little information to pinpoint his identity, Bombay was contacted to lend his aid and it was unfortunate Balinese could not be found until little over an hour ago."  She paused to send a nasty look at Youji who shrugged innocently.  Omi, ever the attentive person had left contact information for just the occasion, Youji on the other hand was serious about the mission-less night and forgot to take his cell phone.  He honestly had no clue where he'd be to be able to leave behind an accurate address or phone number.  The blond had strut in at 5am only to face a sleep deprived and fuming Manx.  "As I was saying, Bombay has been assisting Intelligence for the past few hours and have collected enough clues for the rest of you to join the investigation.  I believe Bombay will be more adept in explaining the details."

"From what we've gathered, Carl Souma was only a scapegoat meant to die as an replacement."

"Wait!"  Ken interrupted, "are you telling me we killed an innocent person?!"

"No.  I can assure you Siberian, while Souma may not be the leader we assumed, he was most surely very high in rank, possibly even second in command."  Manx sternly answered.

"That is true Ken-kun.  Souma was very much an active member and is far from an innocent bystander, he would have been on the target list regardless."  Ken nodded and slouched back against the wall reassured by the reasonable justifications.  "Well, after Souma's death, there were visible signs of the organization's weakening, but when closely inspected the legal businesses they used as a surface have merely been shuffled around and their real business appears to be suspiciously hollow.  It looks as if the subordinates are fighting for the remaining pieces while several other corporations have already bought them, everything is like well planned chaos.  Whoever behind this is very good at keeping themselves hidden.

"We have to take advantage of the situation to strike at the core of the problem.  Intelligence is convinced the real target will remain as he is to not draw attention.  He is most likely acting no different than he does because he is confident he is no longer under Kritiker's watchful eye.  To him, Carl Souma has taken his place."

"Then why all the rush?"  Youji drawled, yawning loudly.  "He thinks he's a free man it should be easier to nab him."

"The problem lies with our traitor.  He and the real target met secretly for a number of weeks to orchestrate the entire ploy.  They have yet to meet since Carl Souma's death and that will never happen.  The exact time or location is unknown, but we do understand the next deadline is approaching."  What went unvoiced by Omi's solemn tone was the iron discipline and final outcome of what betrayal ended in.  Death.

"According to their schedule, the next meeting will be within the next three days.  In short, we have no more than three days to find out exactly who this man is and dispose of him."

"There's the catcher boys and girls, we don't know who the bloody hell this leecher is!  I've been flipping through these files since I've gotten home and they've only narrowed down the list to six little pimps."  Youji had been analyzing each suspect's data and he wasn't far from the truth, at least one of them did specialize to serve as a procurer of prostitutes.

"Um, yes, the real target is one of these six."  Omi rose from his seat and passed out the files and photos to Aya and Ken.

"Can't we just kill them all?"

"Balinese!"

"Just kidding Manx, relax."

"Though all of these criminals are suspicious, not all of their individual crimes deserve them death.  Weiss will help investigate them starting immediately, however, we believe we know where their new headquarters are.  If this is indeed the correct location, finding the real target will be much simpler.  A pair of you will work undercover and infiltrate it starting tonight until either their headquarters are proven false or until the mission is complete."

On the rare occasions where members of Weiss were drafted for undercover work, Youji always took part.  Years of private investigative skills proved to be extremely useful, he had acquired an uncanny sense for detecting lies, small things to which many would deem insignificant were often enough to alert the blond.  In addition, Youji's naturally suave and charming demeanour allowed him to act convincingly in just about any situation or role.  It was simply what the man was good at.

Knowing this, Ken hastily volunteered.  Ken knew he was trying to avoid Aya.  But in a sense, he felt it was his responsibility to carry out the more difficult part of the investigation.  He thought he should finish what he started by permanently ending whatever terror the real target has brought about.  Without the redhead beside him, he could concentrate on the mission and end it faster.

"… Ken-kun, you might want to reconsider.  You don't even know what you're going undercover as."  Omi managed to utter, getting over the surprisingly quick, almost rash response.

"Don't worry about me."

"If you wish.  Bombay will not take part because he is under aged and will be more effective conducting outside research and information relaying.  So who will it be, Balinese?  Abyssinian?"

"I'm in."

"WHAT?!"  Ken shouted, whipping he head up to stare incredulously at the redhead.  "You- you never do undercover work!  Besides, Youji will-"

"Where and what as, Manx?"  Aya said calming, effectively cutting off the appalled brunette.  If the choice were down to the three of them, Aya and Youji would probably be the better candidates considering how Ken had difficulty lying let alone pretend to be a different person.  Thus, other than the brunette, the remaining parties in the room agreed with their field leader's decision.  What was confusing was why both Aya and Ken were so eager to take part.

"Oh, I haven't actually told you what their crimes are have I?  My apologies."  The female redhead lifted a delicate hand to rub at her temples.  Her noticeable fatigue had the members of Weiss worried.  Manx hardly ever left out information as crucial as this, but the entire traitor issue and this rush mission has kept her constantly working for two days straight.  "Drawbridge is a new, popular and successful establishment.  The club is most likely a cover though.  Behind the scenes there's drug trafficking and private male entertainment."

"Male entertainment?!!"  Ken parroted.  "You mean undercover as…!"

As if ignoring the brunette's outburst, Manx continued on.  "The targets bait young couples with a large amount of money.  What caught Kritiker's attention was that frequently these young men would disappear, many of them permanently without a single trace.  We have only managed to find the remains of slightly more the half of the believed victims.  Every body was badly mutilated, often not whole.

"They seem to only approach couples.  The more attached the couple, the higher their price, the more likely both of them go missing.  The perpetrators have even been known to send spies to investigate the candidates in order to verify their relationship.  Upon delivering their services, the victims are most likely tranquilized before they are killed as we have identified in several bodies, though some other cases indicate death by a severe toxin.  For most people, the identified tranquilizer numbs their entire body while retaining consciousness, leaving them awake and aware but utterly helpless to whatever tortures their captive impose, for the luckier few, they pass out."

The occupants of the room sneered silently at the disturbing facts that only fed to their desire to carry out their roles as White Hunters.  They could only imagine the terrifying experience the victims went through as they witnessed a madman disembowel their own body in front of their very own eyes possibly accompanied with the person they cared for most.  Youji was the first to break the tense silence.  "So this Mr. Boss has something again gay lovers.  Let's say a pair of us passes the evaluation, how's that going to bring out real target, couldn't other people be taking part in the murders?"

"Before, Souma handpicked the couples and we believed he was the offender because the wounds on each victim were similar to a degree; it is safe to assume one person was directly responsible for the murders.  The couple selected will most probably meet the real target, in person."

"What a sick fuck.  Anyways, I think it's best if I'm part of this.  Why don't you trail the other targets Ken?"

Why did Youji automatically assume he wasn't fit for the job and not Aya instead?  He couldn't let such low scum pollute the Earth by his existence anymore nor did Ken want to dignify Aya with thinking he was a quitter.  "No.  I'm going."

"Ken.  What do you know about 'entertaining' other people?"

"I can be e-entertaining.  Besides, I'm not going to let this bastard live."

"Don't be stubborn, you'll blow your cover with your stuttering virgin character!"

"I am not!"

"… Ken?"

"I'm going!"

He may have been too preoccupied to pay much attention to his friend's strange behaviour earlier, but now the blond was fully aware something was wrong and it happened sometime after he last saw him last night.  The playboy knew Ken was stubborn and as unmovable as a rock at times so he decided he'd relent for the time being.  There was no need to do it in front of the whole team, he knew from experience Ken was easier to probe when it was just the two of them anyways.  "Fine.  You can try the undercover gig after I give you a few pointers and you have MY approval, if not, you stay out of this Drawbridge.  Deal?"

"Deal."

"Report back here by 4 so we can start.  So we have most of the day to stalk 'em, I got dibs on pimps #1, 2, and 3."

"Ken-kun, for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon, follow pim-… suspect #4 and Aya-kun suspect #5.  I will carry on your investigations as well as the remaining person's later on when you two must prepare."  Youji looked smugly at them all, glad to see the effects of his good influences.  Omi scowled back, flushing slightly from the unintentional slip in front of Manx.

"I'll leave you boys to it, all the fine points are on file in the computer.  I have to get back to Intelligence.  Good luck."

-----

TBC

Mmmm… Kenken trying to 'entertain' next chapter XD


End file.
